Combined container and detachably mounted roller assembly



26, 1969 R. GERMAN ETAL 3,463,505

COMBINED CONTAINER AND DETACHABLY MOUNTED ROLLER ASSEMBLY Filed Deb.

FIG. 5

INVENTOQS ISRAEL ROESERT GERMAN AND MELVlN CHERVH'Z BY MM ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,463,505 COMBINED CONTAINER AND DETACHABLY MOUNTED ROLLER ASSEMBLY Israel Robert German, 1157 Moorlands, Richmond Heights, Mo. 63117, and Melvin Chervitz, 1235 Bardot Lane, St. Louis, Mo. 63141 Filed Dec. 20, 1967, Ser. No. 692,029 Int. Cl. B621) 3/02, 5/00; B60b 33/04 US. Cl. 280--79.2 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A combined container and detachably mounted roller assembly in which the container includes a bottom wall and depending flange, and in which the roller assembly includes a substantially U-shaped clamp having opposed flanges interconnected by a transverse base. The clamp receives the container flange adjacent one of the clamp flanges. A fastener threadedly engages and extends through the other clamp flange to selectively engage the container flange and clamp such container flange to the said adjacent one clamp flange. A swivel means operatively connects a roller to the transverse clamp base. For stability, the clamp flange, fitting behind the container flange, is provided with an outwardly turned tab that engages the bottom wall of the container. Suflicient space is provided between the mounting means, attaching a swivel pin to the clamp base, and the said adjacent one clamp flange in order to receive the container flange therebetween. For even greater stability, the angular configuration of the clamp flange, including the tab, conforms substantially to that of the intersecting bottom wall and depending flange.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to improvements in roller assemblies adapted to be detachably and selectively secured to the bottom of a container, and more particularly to an improved combination of such container and detachably mounted roller assembly.

The trash containers presently in residential use, and most of those in industrial or commercial use are constructed with a bottom wall and a depending peripheral flange. These containers are supported on any subjacent supporting surface, such as a floor or on the ground, by their peripheral flange. In order to move these containers to different locations, the containers must be physically lifted by a person gripping the side handles. This lifting and carrying of containers is a considerable chore, especially if the containers are filled to any extent. It is well known that trash containers at a residence are usually filled at one location, usually the backyard, and must be moved to another location, usually at the street or alley, for trash pickup or collection. The lifting of the trash containers involves a considerable amount of work for the average male and it is virtually impossible for most females.

Of course, various devices have been developed to facilitate the transportation of these containers. For example, the containers can be placed on wheeled carts or hand trucks. But still, the containers must be manually lifted to be placed on such devices. Moreover, these carts and trucks are relatively expensive, and because of the Patented Aug. 26, 1969 prohibitive costs, are not in wide-spread use, particularly in the residential field.

There are some containers on the market which have rollers permanently attached to their bottoms. This type of container is usually found in industrial plants and commercial businesses, such as restaurants. These containers with their permanently attached rollers are also relatively expensive, and their cost is not usually justified or afforded by the residential user of trash containers, and accordingly, are not found usually in this particular market.

To date there is no inexpensive mode of or device for transporting trash containers which could be used easily and advantageously by everyone.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present roller assembly can be readily and selectively attached to the peripheral depending flange of existing trash containers, and when detachably connected, the container can be simply rolled from one location to another. The container need not be lifted by the user.

These roller assemblies can be packaged and sold in sets, usually three per container, to everyone including the residential user. The construction. of the roller assembly is simple so that anyone can attach or detach the roller assembly to or from a container without requiring any detailed instructions. Because the roller assembly is made simply and inexpensively, a set of roller assemblies can be afforded by any user of trash containers.

The roller assembly includes a, substantially U-shaped clamp receiving the container flange, the container flange being located adjacent to one of the clamp flanges. A fastener threadedly engages and extends through the other clamp flange, the fastener selectively engaging the container flange to the said adjacent one of the clamped flanges. A roller is connected by a swivel means to a transverse clamp base.

The said one clamp flange fits behind the container flange and includes an outwardly turned tab that engages the bottom wall of the container for stability.

The said one clamp flange and the mounting means, connecting the swivel pin to the transverse clamp base, are laterally spaced sufliciently to receive the container flange therebetween.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the roller assembly attached to a container;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the roller assembly as seen from the right of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of the U-shaped clamp;

FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the clamp shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a bottom plan view of the clamp;

FIG. 6 is a rear elevational view of a modified roller assembly, and

FIG. 7 is a side elevational view thereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring now by characters of reference to the draw ing, and first to FIG. 1, it is seen that the trash container generally indicated by 10 is of the conventional type incorporating a peripheral side wall 11 and a bottom wall 12. Located adjacent to the bottom Wall 12 is a peripheral,

depending flange 13. In the specific embodiment, the depending container flange 13 constitutes a continuation or the lower portion of side wall 11.

Each roller assembly referred to by 14 includes a substantially U-shaped clamp 15 having opposed flanges 16 and 17 integrally interconnected by a transverse base 20. The U-shaped clamp 15 receives the container flange 13. More specifically, the container flange 13 is adjacent and contiguous to the clamp flange 16.

Threadedly received in a tapped hole 21 formed in the clamp flange 17 is a fastener 22, the fastener 22 including a threaded shank 23 and a flat head 24. The fastener 22 can be referred to generally as a thumb screw. The threaded shank 23 extends through the clamp flange 17 and into engagement with the container flange 13. Upon tightening the fastener 22, the container flange 13 is clamped securely between the clamp flange 16 and the fastener shank 23.

For stability, the clamp flange 16 includes an outwardly turned tab 25 that engages the bottom wall 12. Moreover, when assembled, the container flange 13 seats on the transverse clamp base 20. The container bottom wall 12 and the container flange 13 intersect to provide an angular configuration. The clamp flange 16 and the outwardly turned tab 25 conform substantially to the same angular configuration for optimum engagement with the container flange 13 and bottom wall 12.

The swivel means carried by the clamp 15 includes a swivel pin 26 extending through a compatible hole 27 formed in the clamp base 20. The swivel pin 26 has an annular collar 30 that engages the underside of clamp base 20. 'One end 31 of pin 26 is swaged over the topside of clamp base 20 to fasten the pin 26 to the clamp 15. The swaged pin end 31, and the mounting of such pin 26 in the clamp base hole 27 constitutes the mounting means for the swivel pin 26.

It will be understood that the mounting means for the swivel pin 26 is spaced sufliciently from the clamp flange 16 to receive the container flange 13 therebetween and to permit the seating of the container flange 13 on the clamp base 20 and/ or the seating of the flange tab 25 against the bottom wall 12.

In addition, the swivel means includes a bracket 32 having bifurcated ends 33 pivotally mounted on the swivel pin 26. One of the bifurcated bracket ends 33 is located adjacent the pin collar 30, while the opposite pin end 34 is swaged over the other bracket end 33. The bracket 32 is thereby swivelly mounted on the pin 26. The bracket 32 extends laterally outward from the swivel pin 26. R- tatively mounted on the bracket 32 is a roller 35 adapted to engage any supporting surface such as a floor or the ground.

It is thought that the functional advantages of the roller assembly 14 with the coacting container have become fully apparent from the foregoing detailed description of parts, but for completeness of disclosure, the usage of the combined container 10 and detachably mounted roller assemblies 14 will be briefly described.

A plurality, usually three, of roller assemblies 14 are selectively attached to the container 10 in equidistantly spaced relation about the periphery of the container flange 13. Because each roller assembly 14 is of identical construction, the description of one such roller assembly 14 will suflice for the others.

First, the U-shaped clamp is located about the container flange 13 at a predetermined location, the container flange 13 being located adjacent to the clamp flange 16 and located at one side of the mounting means for swivel pin 26. Preferably, the clamp tab 25 engages the bottom wall 12 and the lower end of the container flange 13 seats on the transverse clamp base 20. Upon tightening the fastener 22, the end of threaded shank 23 engages the container flange 13 and forces the container flange 13 against the clamp flange 16. Consequently, the container flange 13 is clamped securely between the clamp flange '4 16 and the fastener 22. The roller assembly 14 is securely, yet detachably mounted to the container 10.

When the appropriate number of roller assemblies 13 have been secured to the container flange 13, as previously described, the container 10 can be easily rolled from one location to another.

If for any reason it is desired to remove the roller assemblies 14 from the container 10, such removal can be readily accomplished. In each roller assembly 14, the fastener 22 is loosened so as to release the container flange 13. The clamp 15 can then be simply removed from the container flange 13. Of course, the roller assemblies 14 can be quickly and easily reassembled to the same container 10 or to another like container.

A modified roller assembly 14 is shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals have been utilized to indicate corresponding parts. Essentially the only difference is that the roller 35 is mounted to the swivel pin 26 by an inverted U-shaped bracket 36. The U-shaped bracket 36 includes a transverse base 37 swivelly mounted to the pin 26, and oppositely disposed, depending flanges 40. The bracket 36 is located immediately underneath the clamp 15, and consequently, the rotative axis of the roller 35 is aligned with and immediately below the swivel axis defined by pin 26. The roller 35 is located between the bracket flanges 40. The uses and functional advantages of this roller assembly 14 are identical to those disclosed previously with respect to the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5.

We claim as our invention:

1. A combined container and detachably mounted roller assembly, comprising:

(a) a container including:

(1) a bottom wall, and

(2) a flange adjacent to and extending below the bottom wall, and

(b) a roller assembly including:

(1) a substantially U-shaped clamp having opposed flanges and a transverse base interconnecting the clamp flanges, the clamp receiving the container flange adjacent one of the clamp flanges,

(2) a fastener threadedly engaging and extending through the other clamp flange, the fastener selectively engaging the container flange and clamping the container flange to the said adjacent one of the clamp flanges,

(3) a roller, and

(4) swivel means, rotatable about a swivel axis disposed in substantially fixed relation to the clamp, said swivel means connecting the roller to the transverse base of the substantially U- shaped clamp, and

(c) the said one clamp flange fits behind the container flange and includes an outwardly turned tab spaced from the swivel axis that engages the bottom wall of the container in spaced relation with the fastener engagement for stability against turning of the clamp.

2. A combined container and detachably mounted roller assembly as defined in claim 1, in which:

(d) the swivel means includes:

(1) a swivel pin, and

(2) mounting means connecting the swivel pin to the transverse base,

(e) the mounting means and the said one clamp flange are laterally spaced sufiiciently to receive the container flange therebetween, and

(f) the tab engages the bottom wall of the container transversely of the fastener for stability.

3. A combined container and detachably mounted roller assembly as defined in claim 1, in which:

(d) the bottom wall and depending flange of the container provide an angular configuration, and

5 (e) the said one clamp flange, including the outwardly turned tab, conforms substantially to the angular configuration of the container flange and bottom wall for stability, the container flange seating on the transverse base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 127,571 6/1872 Clark 16-30 1,171,569 2/1916 Wanda 16--30 10 2,049,344 7/1936 Wittke 16--30 6 2,543,697 2/1951 Lanter 280-492 2,772,889 12/ 1956 Reynolds 16-30 FOREIGN PATENTS 310,109 9/1955 Sweden. 339,189 12/ 1930 Great Britain.

BENJAMIN HERSH, Primary Examiner R. R. SONG, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 16-30 

